Refrigerator with segmented modular inner liner



W. A. HANIFAN sept. 17, 1968 REFRIGERATOR WI'IH SEGMENTED MODULAR INNER LINER FlQd June l5, 1967 NEY A ZAT:

United States Patent O Mice REFRIGERATR WITH SEGMENTED MDULAR INNER LINER Wiiiiarn A. Hanifan, Southfield, Mich., assigner to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Filed June 15, 1967, Ser.- No. 646,257 3 Claims. (Cl. S12-214) ABSTRACT F THE DISCLQ'SURE In preferred form, a refrigerator cabinet having an outer shell enclosing a segmented inner liner of modular form with one unit having a vertically oriented upper edge in axial alignment with a vertically oriented lower edge on a second unit, the one unit reinforced by an integrally formed shelf member to prevent inward deflection of the walls ofthe one unit and misalignment of its vertical edge, a tongue and groove on the aligned edges forming a sealed, expansion joint between the connected units and a vapor barrier to thermal insulation behind the liner.

This invention relates to refrigerator cabinet constructions and more particularly to a refrigerator cabinet construction having a low cost segmented inner liner of modular form suitable for usewith refrigerators having foamed-in-place urethane thermal insulation or the like.

Plastic components of various types have been proposed for use in the refrigerator cabinet construction to reduce the cost of manufacture of refrigerators. For example, the inner liner of a refrigerator defining the interior food storage volume of the unit can be formed of plastic material without adversely affecting the structural strength of the construction, while retaining desirable appearance characteristics.

One problem, however, with plastic inner liners has been that of excessive inward deflection in the walls. of the inner liner making it difficult to locate removable shelving or the like in the cabinet. Another problem is thermally induced stresses that occur in an inner liner when it is fabricated at room temperatures and operated at much lower temperatures.

An additional problem of refrigerator cabinet constructions has been that of varying the size of the inner liner of the cabinet construction between different refrigerator models. Since refrigerator cabinet constructions must meet a wide market demand including small portable or apartment sized refrigerators and up to and including refrigerator cabinet constructions having food storage capacity for large families or commercial establishments, it is readily apparent that single molded plastic inner liners for a complete refrigerator line will of necessity require a substantial amount of tooling.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to improve refrigerator cabinet constructions by the provision of a segmented, plastic inner liner of modular construction located within a rectangular box formed outer refrigerator shell having a front accessopening and including a plurality of inner liner units each having vertically oriented edges thereon and means for interconnecting the vertically oriented edges to provide a tongue and groove joint between the segmented units of the plastic inner liner capable of structurally connecting the units of the inner liner construction and of a form to vapor seal thermal insulating material behind the liner.

A further object of the present invention is to reduce the cost of manufacture of a refrigerator cabinet construction by the provision therein of a segmented, inner plastic liner of modular form including a plurality of units interconnected to form sides, a rear wall, a top and a bottom of 3,4L997 Patented Sept. 17, 1968 an enclosed food storage volume having a front access opening thereto and wherein at least first and second ones of the interconnected segmented units of the modular inner liner construction include vertically oriented edges thereon interconnected and arranged to form a vapor sealing expansion joint between the units at the si-de walls and rear wall thereof to reduce moisture penetration in foamed-in-place thermal insulation behind the inner liner and thermal stress in the liner and wherein at least one of the rst and second mentioned units of the modular construction includes a shelf member integrally formed with a side and rear wall of that unit and extending forwardly of the rear wall between the side walls of the unit to prevent inward deflection of its walls and to reinforce its vertically oriented edge against manufacturing misalignment.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings wherein a preferred embodiment of the present invention is clearly shown.

In the drawings:

FIGURE l is a View in front elevation of a refrigerator cabinet construction including the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary, vertical sectional view taken along the line 2 2 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view showing a part of the front access opening to the interior of the refrigerator construction;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged view in vertical section showing one of the inner liner segment connecting and thermal expansion points for vapor lsealing thermal insulation of the refrigerator construction;

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged fragmentary horizontal sectional view taken along the line 5 5 of FIGURE 2; and

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged fragmentary horizontal sectional View taken along the line 6 6 of FIGURE 2.

Referring now to the drawings in FIGURE 1, a refrigerator cabinet construction 10 is illustrated as including an outer metal shell 12 of rectangular box form including a pair of spaced apart side walls 14, 16 joined by a rear wall 18, and further including a top 20 and a bottom wall 22 located above the lowest edges of the side walls 16, 1-8 to define a machinery compartment space 24 Within the cabinet construction 10. `Continuously formed around the front edges of the side Walls 14, 16 the top 20 and the bottom 22 is a trim strip 26 having a channeled edge 28 that snap ts about the above described edges of the outer shell 12 and an inner peripheral edge 30 that denes a front access opening 32 that is closed by a vertically hinged door closure member 34.

In accordance wilh certain principles of the present invention, the cabinet construction 104 further includes a segmented plastic inner liner assembly 36 of modular form which is constructed from a plurality of separate, preformed plastic units to form inner liner walls defining an interior food storage volume 38 in communication with the access opening 32.

More particularly, the segmented inner liner construction 36 includes a rectangular, box shaped bottom unit 40 that includes spaced apart Side walls 42, 44 joined at their rear edges by a rear wall 46 and at their lower edges by a bottom member 48. The bottom unit 40 has the walls 42, 44, 46 thereof located in spaced relationship to the side and rear walls of the outer shell 12 to form a space therebetween which is lled by a foamed-inplace thermal insulating material 50 such as urethane. The side walls 42, 44 and rear wall 46 are not bent outwardly at the upper edges thereof to define a continuous vertically oriented upper edge 52 completely around the sides and rear wall of the first unit 40, as best seen in FIGURES 2 and 4.

The segmented, modular inner liner assembly 36 further includes a plurality of like intermediate units 54, 56, 58 that are stack tted between the lower unit and a top closure unit 60 of the assembly 36.

Each of the units 54, 56, 58 include spaced apart side walls 62, 64 joined at their rear edges by an integral rear wall `66. Integrally formed with the side walls 62, 64 and rear Wall 66 is a shelf member 68 that extends forwardly of the rear wall 66 between the side walls 62, 64 to a point forwardly of the food storage volume 38, as best seen in FIGURE 2 Where the front edge of the shelf member 68 is bent downwardly at 7d. Each shelf member 68 includes an integral, rearwardly located depending rib 71 for reinforcing the shelf across its width. The member 68 denes a substantial shelf area within the food storage compartment 38 and additionally is located immediately above a continuously formed lower edge on the side walls 62, 64, and rear wall 66 which is vertically oriented above and axially aligned with the edge 52 and is formed as a channel-shaped member 72 having a groove 74 which receives the edge 52 in a tongue, groove sealed relationship as 'best seen in FIGURE 4. In accordance with certain principles of the present invention, the shelf member 68 serves to reinforce the side walls 62, 64 and rear Wall 66 at the lower vertically oriented continuous edge 72 thereon to prevent undesirable warpa-ge in the continuous edge thereby enabling it to be readily assembled in an interconnected relationship with the edge 52 of a unit of the assembly 36 such as the bottom unit 40 of the modular construction.

Additionally, the shelf member 68, following connection of adjacent units of the liner assembly 36 will reinforce the side and rear walls of the inner liner against deliection interiorly of the food storage compartment 38.

Accordingly, the interior volume defined by the assembly 36 is able to receive separate, removal preformed storage bins or containers having predetermined widths that are configured to closely tit between the liner walls 62, 64 and liner walls 42, 44.

Each of the inner liners units S4, 56, 58 further include a continuous vertically oriented upper edge 76 thereon that is received in a lower depending groove forming continuous edge 72 of the unit 56, 58 in the case of the units `54, 56, respectively.

In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the inner liner unit 58 includes a continuously formed vertically oriented upper edge 78 that is received in a Channel shaped lower edge 80 of the top unit 60. Unit 60 has the same form as the bottom unit 40 of the inner liner assembly 36 but is located in an inverted relationship to 78 of the unit 58 to connect the liner units 58, 60. In the illustrated arrangement, the tongue groove interconnection between the box-like segments or units of the liner assembly 38 performs the further function of defining a vapor sealed joint between the inner liner segments that will prevent moisture penetration into thermal insulating material between the inner liner assembly 36 and the outer shell 20 that can reduce the thermal insulating effectiveness of the refrigerator wall section.

The above described tongue and groove joint also forms an expansion joint that compensates for thermal expansion and contraction in the liner assembly 36 as occurs when the liner is assembled within the refrigerator unit at room temperature and then the refrigerator is operated at substantially reduced temperatures. Under such extremes, the edges 52, 76, and 78 of the assembly will fill less of the grooved edges 72, 80 but will remain in a vapor sealing relationship in the edges 72, 80 to prevent vapor penetration into the thermal insulation of the cabinet construction.

Since the center units 54, 56, 58 are identical, it will be readily appreciated that different Sized refrigerator models are obtained merely by adding or removing Such sections to produce commensurate changes in refrigerator volume. These changes are accomplished Without added tooling costs or changes in manufacturing procedures. Further, if any one liner unit is damaged by sharp impact loading or the like, it can -be replaced Without scrapping the entire liner.

A further advantage of the above described refrigerator liner assembly 36 is that different color combinations of liner units are easily obtainable. Thus, the units can be color coded to indicate different operating temperature ranges or humidity levels within the refrigerator interior.

A further advantage is that a particular type of plastic best suited for a given region of the refrigerator can be used in different units of the modular liner construction. By way of example, the top unit 60 might be of a high impact polystyrene material; the load carrying intermediate units 54, 56, 58 of a high strength plastic such as ABS (acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene); and the lower unit 40 of liber glass reinforced plastic. Such combinations of plastics can be selected for a particular refrigerator application to result in a minimum cost and required strength characteristics for the entire liner assembly.

Other plastics that might be utilized in making up the component parts of the shelf reinforced thermal expansion compensating, and vapor sealing modular liner assembly 36 of the present invention include acetal plastics, acrylic plastics, nylon, polycarbonate materials, polyvinyl chloride and ABS alloys, expanded polypropolyne and phenoxy and like plastics than can be preshaped by injection molding or vacuum molding into separate modular units interchangeable in different cabinet constructions.

Another feature of the improved inner liner construction of the present invention is the provision of an integrally formed inner convolution 82 on the rear wall of the bottom unit 40 which forms an air flow space 84 communicating with an outlet from a fan housing 85 located within an evaporator space 86 separated from the food storage space 38 by a false bottom wall 88. Within the evaporator space 86 is located an evaporator unit 90 which is connected in refrigerant flow relationship with a refrigerant system of the type including a compressor, condenser, refrigerant expanding means such as an elongated capillary tube and suitable conduits to complete a refrigerant circuit. Such circuits are well known in the art and for purposes of the present invention it is only necessary to indicate that the evaporator 90 serves as a suitable cold source which has air drawn by a motor driven fan 92 thereacross from an inlet opening 94 through the evaporator space 86 thence for discharge through the opening 84 in the integral duct forming convolution 82 on the rear wall 46 of the inner liner unit 40. The convolution 82 in addition to providing the opening 84 for air flow also serves to further reinforce the inner liner assembly 36. In the embodiment of FIGURES 1 through 6, the air iiow space 84 formed by the convolution 82 communicates with an air flow opening or space 94 formed by like inwardly directed convolutions 96 integral with the rear wall 66 of units 54, 56, 58.

In order to secure direct air flow through the spaces between the shelves 68, if desired, the air flow spaces 94 in each of the units S4, 56, 58 may be communicated with the volume 38 through openings 98 in each of the convolutions 96.

Also, the aligned air flow spaces 94 in the units 54, 56, 58 direct air upwardly through an opening 100 in a convolution 102 formed integrally with the rear wall of the upper unit 60. The convolution 102 includes an opening 104 therein communicating the evaporator cooled air flow with the uppermost regions of the enclosed volume 38 of the refrigerator cabinet construction.

While the embodiment of the present invention as herein disclosed constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. A refrigerator cabinet construction comprising an outer cabinet shell having side wall, a rear wall, a top and a bottom defining an enclosed space, means forming a front access opening in said outer cabinet shell, a first inner liner component located within said outer shell and including side walls, a rear wall and a bottom wall located in spaced relationship with said outer shell, means forming a continuous upwardly facing edge on said side walls and said rear wall of said first inner liner component, means for supporting said first inner liner component in spaced relationship to said outer shell including thermal insulating material, a second inner liner component including spaced apart side walls, a rear wall joining said side walls, said second inner liner component including a lower edge thereon formed continuously on said side and rear walls of said second component disposed in Vertical edge to edge relationship with said continuous edge on said first liner component, coacting means on said vertically edge to edge related portions of said first and second liner components forming a tongue and groove interconnection therebetween for forming a sealed joint between said first and second inner wall components and for interconnecting said first and second inner liner components together, a member integrally formed with said side walls and said rear wall of said second inner liner projecting forwardly of said rear wall between said side walls of said second inner liner components for reinforcing said walls of said second liner component against inward deflection, said member extending forwardly of said rear wall at said lower edge thereon to further reinforce 'said lower edge against warpage, said coacting means including a groove forming member and a tongue slidably received in said groove and movable therein in response to temperature changes to compensate for thermally induced contraction and expansion of said first and second inner liner components.

2. A refrigerator cabinet construction comprising an outer shell having spaced apart side Walls, a rear wall joining said side walls, a top and a bottom, means defining as access opening in said outer shell, a segmented inner liner of modular form within said outer shell forming a compartment therein, said segmented inner liner including a first component having spaced apart side walls, a rear wall, and a bottom, said walls of said first liner unit being located in spaced apart relationship with said side walls and rear walls of said outer shell, said first inner liner component including an upper vertical edge thereon formed continuously around said side and rear walls thereof, a second liner component including spaced apart side walls and a rear wall joining said side walls, a shelf member integrally formed with said side walls and said rear wall of said second liner extending from said rear wall between said side walls of said second liner component in a generally horizontal plane to reinforce said side and rear walls of said second liner component against inward deflection, said second liner component including a lower vertically oriented edge formed continually around said side walls and said rear wall of said second liner component at a point immediately below the horizontal plane of said shelf member whereby said lower edge is reinforced by said shelf member, coating means on said first and second liner components for defining a tongue and groove connection between said upper vertical edge on said first component and said lower vertical edge on said second component, means for rigidly supporting said first and second liner units in spaced relationship to said outer shell including thermal insulating material between said outer shell and said first and second shell components, said tongue and groove connection defining a vapor sealed joint between said first and second liner units to said insulating material 3. A refrigerator cabinet construction comprising an outer cabinet shell having side walls, a rear wall, a top and a bottom defining an enclosed space, means forming a front access opening in said outer cabinet shell, a first inner liner component located within said outer shell and including side walls, a rear wall and a bottom wall located in spaced relationship with said outer shell, means forming a continuous upwardly facing edge on said side walls and said rear wall of said first inner liner component, means for supporting said first inner liner component in spaced relationship to said outer shell including thermal insulating material, a second inner liner component including spaced apart side walls, a rear wall joining said side walls, said second inner liner component including a lower edge thereon formed continuously on said side and rear walls of said second component disposed in vertical edge to edge relationship with said continuous edge on said first liner component, coacting means on said vertically edge to edge related portions of said first and second liner components forming a tongue and groove interconnection therebetween for forming a sealed joint between said first and second inner wall components and for interconnecting said first and second inner liner components together, a member integrally formed with .said side walls and said rear wall of said second inner liner projecting forwardly of said rear wall between said side walls of said second inner liner component for reinforcing said walls of said second liner component against inward deflection, said member extending forwardly of said rear wall at said lower edge thereon to further reinforce said lower edge against warpage, and means for further reinforcing said rear wall of Isaid first and second liner components against deflection including an integral inwardly deformed convolution forming a hollow space extending vertically of said rear walls of said first and second liner components, said vertically oriented space defining an air flow space within said cabinet construction for the passage of cooling air.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,152,199 10/1964 Roberts 264-45 3,269,789 8/1966 Crowe 312-214 X 3,302,820 2/1967 Lander et al S12-214 X 3,314,741 4/1967 Litner S12-214 X 3,331,648 7/1967 Petkwitz et al. 312--214 X CASMIR A. NUNBERG, Primary Examiner.

U.S. DEPARTMENT 0F COMMERCE PATENT OFFICE Washington,D.C. 20231 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE 0F. CORRECTION Patent No. 3,401,997 September 13 1968 William A. Hanifan It is certified that error appears in the above identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column 2, line 68, cancel "not". Column 5, line 6, "side wall" should read side walls line 3l, "components" should read component Column 6, line 3, "coating" should read coacting Signed and sealed this 17th day of March 1970.

(SEAL) Attest:

Edward M. Fletcher, Jr. E.

Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents 

